Electric snap switch



H. E. LEPPERT .ELECTRIC SNAP SWITCH Filed Dec. 15. 1923 INVENTOR 1M1:

ATTORNEY Patented June 16, i925.

. STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY LEPPERT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE TRUMBULL I ELEQTEXG ErIANUJE-ACTURING COMPANY, OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT, A COR- ronA'r-Ion es coNNEc'rIcUT.

ELECTRIC sun? swI'rcH.

APQlWtiondled December 15, 1923. Serial No. 680,341.

To all whom it may cemzarn:

Be it known that-I, HENRY E. LEPPERT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New Britain, Hartford County, Connecticut, have invented a new and usein] Electric Snap Switch, of which the fol; lowing is a. specification.

My invention relates particularly to what is commonly termed a quick-break mechanism in which the movable contact member escapes entirely from the control of the operator as soon as its movement is started.

main object of the invention is to provide a simple, rugged, and reliable construction. in which the parts are held se surely in the oil and on positions, and

operate quickly and definitely when a change of circuit condition is to be made.

Another object is to provide a construction v of this type which 1s easily operated and. in

which the action may he said to be clean cut and snappy with no suggestion of drag or uncertainty in the movement, of the parts.

In carrying out these objects I may utilize a swinging yoke or contact carrier of a usually more or less standard type, and I provide a special form of connection between the operating lever and this yoke by means of which an eccentric pressure is developed to hold the yoke in its extreme positions. The power spring is so mounted as to develop its maximum expansive efi'ort in directions to produce the most effective pressure upon a Contact carrier-as Well ttS upon the operating lever. The relatlve position of the parts makes it possible to operate the switch with a minimum friction loss and without lost motion of the spring.

Figure 1 is a side view of the construction embodying improvements of my invention.

Fig. is a similar view partially in section and showing the switch parts in one of the nor; positions of rest.

Fig.

similar view showing the parts in the position which they occupy when throwing the operating member toward the ri ht. A very slight motion to the right o the operating handle will cause the contact carrier to snap to the right.

parts of 9 which project inwardly and hang on bearings 10 which pro'ect outwardly from the. sides of the frame The yoke swings between the legs 11-11 of the frame which serve as stops or abutments.

Any suitable form and number of contact members 12 may be directly or indirectly connected to the yoke 8 so that they are moved with the yoke.

The operating, lever 13 has studs or trunnions 14 pivoted in the sides of the frame 7 and an operating handle or knob .15 by which the operating lever may be swung from side to side. The swinging movement of the operating lever is limited by a lug 16 which projects from its side into a slot 17 in one of the sides of the frame 7 The operating lever 13 is connected to the of the yoke 8. The other end of the link; 18 has a slot 21 to receive the pin 22 which is carried by the inner end of the lever 13. The

cup-like washer 23 slides on the link 18 between the operating lever and the yoke. The

spring'24 which surrounds the body of the link 18 is compressed between the washer 23 and the lugs 25 which project from the edges of the link. The upper end of the spring is surrounded bythe flange on the washer 23 and held in position without binding and yet so as to insure a straight uncramped compression. The operating lever may be provided with a rounded tip or roller-like member 26 which provides a smooth bearing on the outer face of the washer 23. The link 18 is also provided with angled shoulders 27 which press against the edges of the bottom of the yoke so that the pressure of the spring 24 is at the edge of the bottom of the yoke rather than at the center. This provides a maximum side pressure which securely and firmly holds the yoke in its normal position as snown in Fig. 5. In this position it will also he noted that the pressure of the spring is exerted almost exactly at right angles to the plane of the operating lever 13 so that in operating the le er substantially one hundred percent of the operating pressure is applied directly to compress the spring instead of at an obtuse angle as is customary in many structures of this character.

When the operating lever is swung to one side as shown in Fig. 3, the act of compressing the spring tilts the link 18 about the bottom of the center of the. yoke so that the thrust is moved from the lower edge (see Fig. 5) to the center of the yoke (see Fig.

3), thus transferring the point of compression away from the line of centers of the lever and yoke and increasing the effect of leverage of the spring for the purpose of throwing the yoke. Of course as soon as the yoke begins to move it leaves the control of the operator and'passes over with a snap action to the other side where the spring again tends to hold it securely in position.

It is particuarly noted that the shoulders 27 of the link 18 are slightly-angled so that the outer ends of the shoulders alternately bear against the extreme edge of the yoke when the switch is at rest and so that when the link 18 and the operating lever are in an approximate straight line just prior to the movement of the switch, the apex of the angled. shoulders constitutes a sort of pivot which allows the operating members to rock freely and snap quickly to the opposite side in response to the manual movement of the operating lever.

The reduced end l9 of the link 18'1nay be formed like a gear tooth so that it fits rather closely-hut rocksfreely in the opening 20 in the yoke 8 without friction or lost motion which feature adds materially tothe snappy action of the construction. Obviously the angled shoulders 27 and the gear-tooth shape of the reduced end 13' of the link provide mean freely and smoothly rocking the s'g'rrlug-pressed men-fliers over the center in normal operation of the switch.

Bv having one end of the operating sprin lwaring against the. shoulders of the link and the other end confined in a cupped washer, the slightest movement of the operating handle is immediately transmitted to the spring in a straight direction and thus the entire force of the spring is exerted to keep the blade carrying rocker at the extreme limit of its movement with the blades injully on or oil position.

I claim:

1. In a snap switch, a frame, a yoke hinged thereto and having an opening in its bottom, an operating lever hinged to said frame and having a. swinging r piece, a link having a reduced end exten ing into said opening to allord a loose pivotal connection with said yoke and having a sliding connection with said lever, said link having an extended head alternately engaging the opposite edges of said yoke, a spring surrounding said link, and a cupped Washer slidable on said link and having a flange surrounding one end of said spring and engaged by the end of said lever.

2 In a snap switch, a U-shaped swinging a lever and said yoke" and a compression spring on said link to force said yoke away from said operating lever, the id link hav ing atooth connection with eai yoke and laterally extending shoulders adapted to al ternately engage the opposite sides of said yoke adjacent its lateral edges and apply pressure eccentric to the center of said yoke.

4. In a snap switch, frame, a contact carrier hinged thereto, an operating lever hinged to said frame, a link having a sliding engagement with said lever and a loose connection with said contact carrier and an extended head adapted to engage said car rier, a spring on said link, a Washer interposed hetween said spring and the of said lever, said lever having a roller iike tip engaging said Washer.

5. In a snap switch a swinging yoke, an operating lever, a slotted link rnnected to said lever and havii g a projec..o n at one end freely fitting in said year}, spring on said link, said link l'zaving angular lateral projections adapted to alternately engage said yoke.

'3, A snap switch including me, an operating lever s ported by said. .anie and having a swinging finger piece. a rocking yoke supported by said frame, link having atooth-like connection with the center of said yoke a connection with said operating lever and a spring on said link, the said link having abrupt shoulders adapted to al ternately engage the opposite lateral edges of said yoke eccentric to said toothdike connection.

7. A snap switch including an operating lever, a rocking yoke and a spring pressed link having a ositive rocking pivotal connectien with t e center of said yoke, the

said iink also having a rocking head alterimtaiy engaging the opposite edges of said yokra and applying pressure eccentric to said IOfiiifig pivotai vmmectwn.

5 In a map switch, a frame, a contact minim hinged therein, an operatin lever hinged to said frame, a slatted link aving a sliding engagement with said lever and a loose connection with said confmt vm'rier and an extended head a washer on said link, as said lever having a roller-like tip engaging said washer and a spring on said iink between said washer and said head.

HENRY E. LEPPERT, 

